On Point Self Defense

09/02/2014

I don't usually forward "cause" type posts, but I just signed the petition "Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole: Deny Parole to Vanessa Coleman, Offender #473393" on Change.org.

That human beings are capable of committing the type of ruthless, predatory, and inhuman acts described in the post below is almost beyond belief.

I hope you will take a moment to sign the petition.

Vr,

Randy

On the evening of January 6, 2007, Christopher Newsom and his girlfriend Channon Christian made dinner plans and then were to go to a friend’s house...

08/19/2014

It's hard to believe that more than a year has passed since my last post in 2013 announcing the suspension of self defense classes as I delved into the do or die mission of prepping my house to sell! June classes were not offered because it took longer than I thought it would to get my house ready for the market, and then……unexpectedly it sold in just 22 days from listing so the do or die “prep the house” mission immediately became a do or die “get everything out of the house” mission!!

Since selling my house I have been "on sabbatical" in Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, and Japan. I am currently in Virginia to celebrate my daughter-in-law's graduation from nursing school and plan to remain here for awhile before finally settling for good in Arizona.

It was VERY difficult to leave some absolutely wonderful and amazing people in Upstate NY, but sadly I will not be back to offer future self defense sessions in the Triple Cities. For anyone who is interested in taking a self-defense course in the Triple Cities area, Rochester Personal Defense offers some very good programs and is even willing to bring them to the Binghamton area when interest warrants it. Be sure to check out their web site!!

Best of luck to all of you and thank you for your awesome support in NY. I hope the seminars and classes you received from On Point Self Defense have served you well. Stay safe!!!!

05/22/2013

For those of you wondering about classes, seminars, and Tips of the Week...I am on a do or die mission to get my house ready to go on the market first week of June and barely have time to sleep..should be back to "normal" in the next couple of weeks and will have more info about June Women's Essential Self Defense class which will run from 10:30AM to 12:30 PM for four Sundays in June. I have several people interested in that time slot..let me know via message if you are interested in attending. There will also be a very cool event in June at Lost Dog to benefit the CVAC...more to follow....Hey!!! If any of you have good "home improvement skills" like painting, gardening, etc. please contact me immediately to volunteer lol :-)

05/09/2013

Tip of the Week 5/5/13 - Safety Tips For Outdoor Exercise

Sorry this is late...maybe I should start out a little less ambitious and think about a Tip of the Month :-) Anyway..YNN did a story on the above subject and since I was one of the people interviewed, decided it qualifies as the tip of the week. Here is the link :-)

http://binghamton.ynn.com/content/663258/safety-tips-for-outdoor-exercise/

The warm weather this past week got people out of the house and enjoying the outdoors and as summer approaches, police want to remind people to stay safe. YNN's Elyse Mickalonis spoke with police and other safety experts for tips to keep in mind before you burn some calories.

04/29/2013

Tip of the Week 4/28/13 - Should I yell "Fire" if Attacked?

Many women who have taken my Essential Self Defense Class tell me they hear that a good way to draw attention / help if they are being attacked is to yell “FIRE!” This method of drawing attention was developed in response to the fact that people seemed unwilling to intervene in an assault or r**e situation and has been made widely popular by several organizations.

While I encourage all efforts that empower women and help them lead safer lives, I do not subscribe to this philosophy. In an attack situation, the outcome depends on many factors. But from a verbal perspective, the best responses 1) Draw people’s attention to the attack and provide them with a means to intervene with a direct action they can safely take. People in traumatic situations (including being exposed to your pleas as you are attacked) will freeze and take no action. The fact that almost everyone carries a cell phone now makes it easier for them to take action without becoming physically involved. Telling them to use it gives them a course of safe action and can help break the freeze. 2) Make it clear that the situation is in fact an attack and not a domestic quarrel. People are very hesitant to interfere in a domestic argument. There are many documented cases where women have called the police for assistance during an argument, only to accost the officer(s) when they see their partner being cuffed or otherwise “man-handled” by the authorities. 3) Make it clear that YOU are the victim. Whether being attacked by a known person or a stranger, it is critical that anyone within ear-shot hears YOU yelling for assistance and requesting intervention from the authorities. This becomes extremely important should you disable or terminate the threat. Remember, when the police arrive at a crime scene, they are there to determine what has happened without much information to go on. You cannot assume that they will automatically survey the situation and declare you the survivor of a violent attack; especially if the attacker is on the ground holding his shattered knee saying “Look what SHE did to me!!” You are much better off having witnesses who can testify that YOU were the one yelling for help and were in fact defending yourself.

So what should you be screaming as you disable and /or flee an attacker? Forceful calls of “R**e,” “Help Me,” “He’s trying to kill me” coupled with “Call 911” or “Call the Police” alert anyone within earshot that there is a violent crime in progress, provide him / her with direct action they can take without becoming physically involved, and identifies you as the victim.

04/22/2013

Posted this last week a few hours before the tragedy in Boston and promptly took it down in deference to those who were affected. So here it is again. Semi-Official Launch of Tip of the Week.

OK...I'm toying with the idea of sending out a "Tip of the Week." Will try it for a bit and see what kind of responses I get. If it seems to be doing some good (e.g. I get a decent number of "likes" and / or positive comments on the tips,) I'll keep it up. If not...well, nothing ventured, nothing gained :-) P.S. I wasn't able to save the comments from last week, so please feel free to re-post!!

For this week: "Travel Posts"
We are a society that thrives on social medial and "staying connected." This is a great thing but also can pose risk. If you are planning a trip, posting something like: "Looking forward to some fun in the sun with my baby next week at Myrtle Beach" on Facebook let's an awful lot of people know your house is potentially going to be empty. Sending pics and updates while on the trip just reinforces the fact that you aren't there. Can you be sure your privacy settings are filtering the information you post so that it goes ONLY to your trusted friends? And while you may have an alarm system, watchful neighbors, etc. you still don't want to get "the call" stating there is damage to your property resulting from an attempted break-in when you're miles away. Plenty of time to post pictures and comments when you get home.

04/18/2013

NEED INPUT PLEASE: In preparation to offer the next set of seminars / classes during the Spring and Summer I am gauging interest levels as well as "best times" to offer them. I have locations available week days, week nights, and week ends so any time will work for me. Would very much appreciate comments.

$Women's Essential Self Defense Four Week Course (8 hrs)
$Women's Intensive Self Defense Four Week Course (6 hrs)
$Women's Self Defense Refresher (2 hrs)
*Sexual Assault Prevention / Victim's Resources (1.5 hrs)
*The Freshman Coed's Guide to Survival (1.5 hrs)
*The Young Men's Legal Guide to Ethical Sexual Behavior (1 hr)
*Home Protection / Home Invasion Survival (1.5 hr)

$ Indicates there is a moderate cost for the course
* indicates free seminar

04/15/2013

Thanks to those who have already commented and liked my first weekly tip. However, in deference to the tragedy in Boston I have deleted it until next week. My heart goes out to all those affected both directly and indirectly. We mourn for those who were lost, wish healing for those who were wounded, and may we quickly determine the cause so that it may be addressed effectively and with extreme prejudice.

04/15/2013

Great group at the Home Protection / Home Invasions Survival Seminar today. Felt awesome walking out knowing people are actually going to take direct action to make themselves safer.

04/12/2013

Women's Essential Self Defense four week course starts tomorrow (Sat April 13th) at Court Jester West and there are still some slots available! Please contact me if you are interested!